Loin separation apparatus and method of operation therefor

ABSTRACT

A loin separation apparatus and method of operation therefor controls a loin knife assembly in a manner which simulates the anthropomorphic motions of a human operator during a loin pulling operation. The loin knife assembly includes a U-shaped knife blade which is mounted to an arm which is connected to the apparatus through a universal joint to permit lateral and vertical displacement of the knife blade. Moreover, the separation between the sides of the loin knife may be varied. The combination of lateral displacement and varying the separation between the sides of the blade enables the sides of the knife blade to follow separate profiles. The loin separation apparatus generates customized cutting profiles and/or modifies standard cutting profiles for the loin knife assembly, as well as for a scribe saw assembly which may also be included on the apparatus, based upon the particular dimensions, contours, etc. of a specific side of meat.

This is a divisional of application Ser. No. 08/390,116, filed Feb. 17,1995, which applications are incorporated herein by reference now U.S.Pat. No. 5,514,032.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention is directed to an apparatus and method for butchering porkand other meat. More particularly, the invention is directed toapparatus and method for separating loin and belly portions from a sideof pork through scribing and loin pulling operations.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Various steps are typically required in the processing of meat carcassessuch as hog carcasses. One step that typically occurs after a hog isslaughtered, the head, skin and appendages are removed, and the carcassis separated into separate pork sides, is to separate the loin and bellyportions of the individual pork sides from one another.

The separation of a pork loin from a pork belly is typically referred toas a loin pulling operation, whereby an arcuate U-shaped knife blade ispulled through a pork side generally along the backbone to separate theloin from the belly. Typically, this involves a preceding step ofscribing the ribs to facilitate pulling the knife through the side, aswell as a subsequent step of trimming fat from the loin, to obtain aloin with optimum fat covering.

These operations are traditionally performed by human operators usingdifferent hand-held tools. An operator at a first station runs a handheld power scribe saw along the backbone of a pork side to cut the ribsfrom the backbone. The scribe saw has a circular blade which cutsapproximately 1/2 inch deep into the pork side, which is sufficient tosever the ribs. The optimum scribe cut generally follows the contour ofthe backbone, while starting at about 11/4 inch in from the backboneitself.

The pork side is next transferred to a second station where anotheroperator pulls a U-shaped loin pulling knife through the pork sidegenerally along the backbone to manually separate the loin from the porkbelly. In this operation, one side of blade follows the scribe cutthrough the ribs, while the other side of the blade is maintained asclose as possible to the junction between the fat back and the meat ofthe loin, known as the fat/lean separation line. Several modificationsof this general operation are learned by experienced operators to obtainhigher yields. For instance, an operator must make sure the bottom ofthe loin pulling knife clears the "T"-shaped blade bone at the beginningof the cut, as well as the aitch bone at the end of the cut. Inaddition, the knife may be flared at the end of the cut to maximize theamount of ham kept with the loin. Other subtle movements such asrotating, widening, and tilting the knife blade are learned by moreexperienced operators to improve the finished product.

A third step of trimming fat from the separated pork loin is alsotypically required regardless of the experience of the operators, assome excess fat will typically be left on a pulled loin. Some fat ispreferred on a loin to keep it from drying out during storage. However,any amount of fat is typically not appealing to consumers, so most ofthe fat needs to be removed to leave the minimum amount necessary tokeep the loin from drying out. It has been found that a fat covering ofabout 0.1 inch is preferred on a loin, although other thicknesses mayalso be desired in different circumstances. The fat trimming operationnecessary to provide the optimum fat cover is typically manuallyperformed by a separate operator at another station.

Using human operators to perform loin pulling, however, poses severalproblems. Most notably, loin pulling is one of the most difficult jobsfound in a pork processing plant. Turnover is relatively high, since theposition is typically reserved for new employees who often transfer toother jobs as soon as they get enough seniority. Therefore, it isdifficult to train and keep experienced operators that can efficientlyperform the operations and provide high quality product. Also, evenexperienced operators are not capable of sufficiently high output due tothe difficulty of the operations. Further, since the separate steps inseparating a loin from a pork belly are performed by different operatorsat different stations, additional handling and/or transfer steps areoften required. In addition, it is difficult for any operator to get theoptimum fat levels and loin/ham yield from any side of pork.Consequently, high amounts of unacceptable loins often result from theloin separation process.

To address the problems associated with manual loin separationprocesses, various automated loin separation systems have been proposed.Examples include U.S. Pat. No. RE 28,508 to Neebel et al., U.S. Pat. No.3,234,591 to Vogt et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,685,095 to Metro, U.S. Pat.No. 3,771,196 to Doerfer et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,189,806 to VanHeyningen, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,970,755 and 5,090,939 to Leblanc, U.S. Pat.No. 4,979,269 to Norrie, and U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,234,371 and 5,295,898 toAndre et al., among others.

Many of these systems attempt to replace human operators with automatedloin knives and scribe saws, often resulting in more efficiency and morerepeatable results. However, many prior automated systems are limited inthe degree of control they provide over the loin knife and scribe saw.In particular, many systems only allow adjustment of a loin knife and/ora scribe saw in at most one or two axes of motion. It will beappreciated that every pork side is somewhat different in contour, size,weight, etc. Furthermore, it is difficult to reproduce the differentsubtle motions experienced human operators use to optimize end productswith limited control over the loin knife and scribe saw. Thus,conventional automated systems often are not capable of separating loinsfrom bellies at the optimum points of separation, often resulting inunacceptable waste product and lower yields.

Thus, a need has existed in the art for an automated system which offersgreater control over loin knife and scribe saw operations to optimizeyield and reduce amount of waste product. In particular, there is a needfor a loin separation apparatus which may provide customized processingof individual sides of meat to optimize the various operations for eachside and thereby result in higher quality and more consistent endproducts.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The Invention addresses these and other problems in prior art byproviding a loin separation apparatus and method which offers increasedcontrol over loin pulling and scribing operations. Preferred apparatusconsistent with the invention generate customized cutting profilesand/or modify standard cutting profiles for the loin knife and scribesaw assemblies of the apparatus based upon the particular dimensions,contours, etc. of a specific side of meat, thus optimizing yield andreducing waste product, while providing improved, productivity andreduced processing time.

Several advantages may be realized from preferred embodiments of theinvention. For example, a preferred loin separation apparatus mayinclude a loin knife assembly which is controllable to enable the sidesof a U-shaped knife blade to follow separate profiles and therebyoptimize the cuts formed therefrom. Further, through the use of imageprocessing and motion control, custom profiles may be calculated for thescribe saw and loin knife assemblies to provide optimized operationthereof. Moreover, the movement of the scribe saw and/or the loin knifeassemblies through a side of meat may be facilitated through the use offorward steering couplings, which act as casters and assist in steeringthe respective assemblies through the side of meat.

Therefore, in accordance with one aspect of the invention, there isprovided a loin separation apparatus for separating a loin portion froma side of meat. The apparatus includes a frame; conveying means, coupledto the frame, for conveying a side of meat through the apparatus; a loinknife assembly, coupled to the frame, the loin knife assembly includingan arm pivotally coupled to the frame to pivot about a lateral axis, agenerally U-shaped knife blade coupled to the arm and having first andsecond sides, vertical moving means for moving the arm vertically aboutthe lateral axis, and first and second lateral moving means forrespectively moving the first and second sides of the knife blade in alateral direction; and a controller, coupled to the conveying means, thevertical moving means and the first and second lateral moving means, forcontrolling movement of the loin knife assembly to separate the loinportion from the side of meat as the side of meat is conveyed throughthe apparatus.

According to another aspect of the invention, a loin knife assembly isprovided for use in a loin separation apparatus. The assembly includesan arm pivotally coupled to the loin separation apparatus to pivot aboutlateral and vertical axes; a head assembly, coupled to the arm, the headassembly including a generally U-shaped knife blade having first andsecond sides; vertical moving means for moving the arm vertically aboutthe lateral axis; lateral adjustment means for moving the arm laterallyabout the vertical axis; and width adjustment means for varying theseparation between the first and second sides of the knife blade.

According to an additional aspect of the invention, a loin knifeassembly is provided for use in a loin separation apparatus. Theassembly includes a generally U-shaped knife blade having first andsecond sides; vertical moving means for moving the knife blade in avertical direction; and first and second lateral moving means forrespectively moving the first and second sides of the knife blade in alateral direction.

According to a further aspect of the invention, a scribe saw assembly isprovided for use in a loin separation apparatus. The assembly includes asteering coupling; scribe saw moving means for moving the steeringcoupling along a lateral axis relative to the loin separation apparatus;a saw blade mounting assembly, pivotally mounted to the steeringcoupling at a forward point thereon to rotate about a vertical axis,including a saw blade and drive means for rotating the saw blade; andheight adjustment means, coupled to the saw blade mounting assembly, forautomatically controlling the cutting depth of the saw blade.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, there is provided aloin separation apparatus for separating a loin portion from a side ofmeat. The apparatus includes a loin knife assembly, including agenerally U-shaped knife blade having first and second sides, first andsecond lateral moving means for respectively moving the first and secondsides of the U-shaped knife blade in a lateral direction, and verticalmoving means for moving the U-shaped knife blade in a verticaldirection; conveying means for conveying a side of meat past the loinknife assembly; an imaging camera positioned to generate a top planimage of the side of meat; and a controller, coupled to the loin knifeassembly, the conveying means, and the imaging camera. The controllerincludes image processing means for determining backbone and fat/leanseparation lines from the top plan image, profile calculating means forgenerating profiles for the vertical moving means and the first andsecond lateral moving means to control the first side of the U-shapedknife blade to follow a preset distance from the backbone line, and thesecond side of the U-shaped knife blade to follow a preset distance fromthe fat/lean separation line, and activating means for activating thevertical moving means, the first and second lateral moving means and theconveying means to follow the profiles generated by the profilecalculating means.

In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, a control systemis provided for use in a loin separation apparatus of the type includinga loin knife assembly having a generally U-shaped knife blade, first andsecond lateral moving means for respectively moving first and secondsides of the knife blade in a lateral direction, and a vertical movingmeans for moving the U-shaped knife blade in a vertical direction; andconveying means for conveying a side of meat past the loin knifeassembly. The control system includes an imaging system, the imagingsystem including means for generating a top plan image of the side ofmeat and means for processing the top plan image to locate a backboneline and a fat/lean separation line on the side of meat; a hostcontroller, coupled to the imaging system and the motion control system,the host controller including profile calculating means for generatingprofiles for the conveying means, the vertical moving means and thefirst and second lateral moving means such that the first side of theU-shaped knife blade follows a preset distance from the backbone lineand the second side of the U-shaped knife blade follows a presetdistance from the fat/lean separation line as the conveying meansconveys the side of meat past the loin knife assembly; and a motioncontrol system for controlling the first and second lateral movingmeans, the vertical moving means and the conveying means to each followthe profiles generated by the host controller.

In accordance with an additional aspect of the invention, a method isprovided for separating a loin portion, from a side of meat in a loinseparation apparatus of the type including a loin knife assembly havinga generally U-shaped knife blade, first and second lateral moving meansfor respectively moving first and second sides of the knife blade in alateral direction, and a vertical moving means for moving the U-shapedknife blade in a vertical direction. The method includes the steps ofgenerating a top plan image of a side of meat; determining the locationof a backbone line and a fat/lean separation line on the side of meatfrom the top plan image; generating profiles for the vertical movingmeans and the first and second lateral moving means to control the firstside of the U-shaped knife blade to follow a preset distance from thebackbone line, and the second side of the U-shaped knife blade to followa preset distance from the fat/lean separation line; and activating thevertical moving means, the first and second lateral moving means and theconveying means to follow the generated profiles.

These and other advantages and features, which characterize theinvention, are set forth in the claims annexed hereto and forming afurther part hereof. However, for a better understanding of theinvention, and the advantages and objectives attained by its use,reference is made to the drawing which forms a further part hereof, andto the following descriptive matter, in which there is discussed apreferred embodiment of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred loin separation apparatusconsistent with the invention.

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the apparatus of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the apparatus of FIG. 1, with the controlsystem and cabinet therefor shown in phantom for ease of illustration.

FIG. 4 is a front end elevational view of the apparatus of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the gripper platen for theapparatus of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the scribe saw assembly forthe apparatus of FIG. 1.

FIGS. 7a, 7b and 7c are exploded perspective views of the loin knifeassembly for the apparatus of FIG. 1. FIG. 7a shows the pivotal couplingassembly, FIG. 7b shows the arm assembly, and FIG. 7c shows the headassembly therefor. FIG. 7a also shows the push-off piston for theapparatus of FIG. 1.

FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of an alternate loin knife headassembly consistent with the invention.

FIG. 9 is a functional block diagram of the control system for theapparatus of FIG. 1.

FIGS. 10a, 10b and 10c are top plan, side elevational and endelevational views, respectively, of a pork side, showing preferredcutting profiles for scribe saw and loin knife assemblies consistentwith the invention.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the processing steps for separating apork loin with the control system of FIG. 9.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the GENERATE PROFILE routine from FIG.11.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the PROCESS IMAGE DATA routine from FIG.12.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing the CALCULATE SERVO ARRAY VALUES routinefrom FIG. 12.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Turning to the Drawing, wherein like numbers denote like partsthroughout the several views, FIGS. 1-4 show a preferred loin separationapparatus 10 consistent with the principles of the invention. Apparatus10 generally includes a number of primary electromechanical systemswhich handle various functions in the loin separation process. A gripperplaten 20 is provided which supports a pork side and transports itthroughout the different operations in the loin separation process.

A scribe saw assembly 50 is also provided on apparatus 10 forscribing/cutting the ribs along the backbone of a pork side tofacilitate the later loin pulling operation. In addition, a loin knifeassembly 100 is provided to separate the pork loin from the belly (i.e.,to "pull" the loin) after it has been scribed by scribe saw assembly 50.

An electronic control system 170 is also provided to control thedifferent electromechanical systems of apparatus 10. Controller 170includes a motion controller which drives a plurality of servos thatactivate and control platen 20, scribe saw assembly 50, and loin knifeassembly 100. In addition, a separate imaging system is included todetermine critical dimensional data for individual pork sides, enablingcontrol system 170 to optimize the loin separation process based uponthe dimensions of a particular side of pork.

The above-described systems are preferably disposed on a single frame11. The frame also includes a horizontal support beam 12 that supportsmost of the primary electromechanical components, a plurality of upwardsupports 13, a controller cabinet 14 that is supported on supports 13and houses most of control system 170, and a loin knife assembly support16 which provides the primary support of loin knife assembly 100. Theframe is preferably constructed of steel or another suitably strongstructural material.

Further, the frame of apparatus 10 includes a pair of stainless steelrails 15 on which platen 20 is supported and allowed to slide upon whentransporting a side of pork between the different stations in apparatus10.

Several additional components are found on preferred apparatus 10. Apush-off piston 162 is provided to eject the side from apparatus 10 oncethe loin and belly portions have been separated by loin knife assembly100. As shown in FIG. 7a, piston 162 includes a push-off member 162amounted through fasteners 162b. Piston 162 is mounted to beam 12 offrame 11 by brackets 162c, 162d, and 162f through a plurality offasteners 162f. Piston 162 is preferably a pressure-actuated piston suchas the No. NF18A-E02-AMA00 manufactured by C & C Manufacturing, Inc.Other suitable ejection devices are known in the art.

Returning to FIG. 1, with apparatus 10, a pork side will be passedthrough the scribe saw and loin knife assemblies on platen 20, then willbe ejected from the platen at the end of a cycle by push-off piston 162.Alternatively, platen 20 may be returned to a start position with theloin knife blade lowered to a position to hit the loin portion of thepork side as the platen is returned, such that the loin portion will bedislodged from the platen, and the belly portion will be returned to thestarting point to permit and operator to manually remove the belly andplace a new pork side on the platen. It may be desirable to include morethan two rails 15 such that a dislodged loin will rest on the "table"formed by the plurality of rails.

Several directional terms will be used hereinafter. Therefore, in thecontext of the preferred embodiments shown in the Drawing, alongitudinal direction will typically represent a direction along thelength of the preferred apparatus, e.g., parallel to rails 15. Avertical direction will typically represent a direction upwards from thefloor upon which the preferred apparatus is mounted, e.g., perpendicularto the plane formed by rails 15. Finally, a lateral direction willtypically represent a direction across the width of the preferredapparatus, e.g., orthogonal to the vertical and longitudinal directions.

The preferred loin separation apparatus 10 is preferably for use inseparating the loin and belly portions from a side of pork. However, itwill be appreciated by one skilled in the art that the principles of theinvention will apply to other butchering operations, as well as to otherforms of meat including beef, lamb, veal, etc., and therefore theinvention should not be limited as such. Each of the primary systems ofapparatus 10 will now be described in greater detail below.

A. Gripper Platen

FIG. 5 shows gripper platen 20 in greater detail. As described above,platen 20 is a conveying means which helps in supporting and conveying apork side throughout the different loin separation operations performedby apparatus 10. It has been found that maintaining a pork side in afixed position on the platen (i.e., with minimum lateral or longitudinalshifting relative to the platen) is significant for ensuring that theimage data calculated by the imaging system is valid during thesubsequent scribing and loin pulling operations, given that these lateroperations must assume correct positioning of the pork side to obtainoptimum results.

Gripper platen 20 includes a support member 310 having a support surface311 which supports a pork side thereon. Support member 310 is preferablyconstructed of UHMWPE, which has been found to be a sturdy and easilycleaned surface. Other materials, including different metals, plastics,and composites, may also be used.

A pork side is preferably positioned on platen 20 by an operator withthe side resting on support surface 311. As shown in FIG. 1, a fixedside surface 301 mounted to frame 11 of apparatus 10 is used to properlyposition the pork side on the platen with the fat back downward and withthe backbone running longitudinally proximate the side surface.Alternatively, platen 20 may have a second, inclined surface disposedthereon for assisting an operator in properly positioning a pork side onthe platen. In addition, as is also shown in FIG. 1, an end stop member22 is mounted to the end of platen 20 to abut the trailing end of a porkside placed on the platen and further assist an operator in properlypositioning a side on the platen. Stop member 22 moves with supportmember 310 such that the stop will resist longitudinal movement of apork side during the loin pulling operations.

Returning to FIG. 5, gripper platen 20 includes four gripper hookassemblies 320a, 320b, 320c and 320d which respectively project throughapertures 312a, 312b, 312c and 312d in support surface 311 to hook ontothe surface of a pork side lying on the platen. Each gripper hookassembly 320a-d is substantially the same, varying only in placement andorientation (forward or backward). For example, gripper hook assembly320a includes a hook 322 rotatably mounted on an 325 with spacers 326between brackets 324, which are in turn mounted by fasteners 330 to amain bracket 332. A pressure actuated gripper hook cylinder 340a, suchas the No. FD-172-2FCMT SF manufactured by Bimba Mfg. Co., is rotatablymounted on brackets 342 with spacers 341 over pins on cylinder 340a,which are in turn mounted by fasteners 343 to main bracket 332. Bracket332 is mounted through a spacer 333 to member 310 by fasteners 335through top bracket 334. Cylinder 340a and hook 322 are coupled togetherby linkage 328, 329 which is connected at one end to the piston ofcylinder 340a and at the other end to hook 322 offset from therotational axis thereof defined by axle 325 through fastener 327.Gripper hook assemblies 320b-d are similarly configured.

Gripper hook assemblies 320a, 320b and 320c preferably orient theirrespective hooks forward, whereby the hooks will assist in resisting theforces applied to a pork side by the loin knife assembly. Gripper hookassembly 320d is preferably oriented opposite to the other assemblies,to assist in stretching out the pork side on platen 20, and to assist inthe penetration of the other gripper hooks into the pork side.

Cylinders 340a and 340d of the outer gripper hook assemblies arepreferably connected to a source of pressure by a manifold and arecontrolled by a common valve 350 (shown schematically in FIG. 9), as arecylinders 340b and 340c of the inner gripper hook assemblies, which arecontrolled by a common valve 352 (also shown schematically in FIG. 9).Consequently, the inner and outer gripper hooks may be actuatedseparately.

The separate actuation of the inner and outer gripper hook assemblieshas been found to be beneficial in that the outer gripper hookassemblies may be first actuated to stretch out the pork side and toinitially grip the side sufficiently to enable the inner hook assembliesto penetrate the pork side without the side slipping on the platen.However, it will be appreciated that the hooks may be actuated in anyorder, or at the same time.

As an alternative, one or more vacuum cups may be disposed on platen 20to provide supplemental attachment to a pork side. The vacuum cups arepreferably connected to a source of vacuum to provide a seal against thepork side. The cups may include flexible bellows which conform to thepork side. The cups may also be retractable to permit the cups to pullthe pork side taut against the platen.

Returning to FIGS. 1-4, platen 20 is shown supported on rails 15, and ismoved between stations by sliding along these rails. Positioning ofplaten 20 is controlled by a platen servo 160, which is a stepper motorsuch as the No. S-4050 manufactured by Reliance Electric. Platen servo160 moves platen 20 through a belt and pulley arrangement, whereby servo160 rotates a pulley to move a belt to which platen 20 is secured. Othermanners of controllably positioning platen 20 at various positions alongrails 15 are known in the art.

Various modifications to the preferred conveying mechanism may be made.For example, additional vacuum cups, gripper hooks, support surfaces,etc. may be used. Further, conveyors such as are found in conventionalloin separation devices may also be used. However, given the criticalityof pork side positioning during imaging, scribing and loin pulling, ithas been found that the platen configuration disclosed herein provides amore secure grip on a pork side throughout the different operations. Inaddition, the platen has been found to be comparatively easy toposition, secure and release a pork side. Additional modifications willbe appreciated by one skilled in the art.

B. Scribe Saw Assembly

FIG. 6 shows scribe saw assembly 50 in greater detail. Scribe sawassembly 50 is used to scribe, or cut, the ribs along the top surface ofthe pork side at a fixed or preset distance from the backbone. Scribingthe ribs assists in the loin pulling operation because the cutting ofthe ribs does not have to be performed by the loin knife blade, therebyleaving the knife blade to cut only through meat and fat. The loin knifeassembly may alternatively be used to cut through the ribs; however, itwould require a much stronger and sturdier loin knife assembly, andwould excessively wear the knife blade.

Scribe saw assembly 50 is preferably movable in two directions. A firstmeans of movement for the assembly is provided by a scribe saw lateralservo 150, which is preferably a linear actuator servo such as the No.S-4050 manufactured by Reliance Electric. Servo 150 supports and moves ascribe saw head 72 along a lateral direction. A second means of movementfor the assembly is provided by a scribe saw lift actuator 151, which ispreferably an air cylinder such as the No. S2X25RC2FT2 manufactured byCompact Air Products. Actuator 151 preferably rotates scribe saw head 72about a lateral axis to raise and lower the head between activated andnon-activated positions.

Servo 150 is pivotally supported on a mounting beam 52, which is mountedto horizontal support beam 12 of frame 11 with an opposing plate 53 andfasteners 54. A pair of screw eye bolts 57 are mounted to end 56 of beam52 using fasteners 58. A pair of servo mounting brackets 60a and 60b aremounted to servo 150 using fasteners 61. Brackets 60a and 60b are inturn mounted to screw eye bolts 57 using bolts 62 and nuts 63, such thatthey are pivotable about axis 64.

Actuator 151 is mounted to beam 52 through a mounting bracket 65 whichis mounted to bracket 55 on beam 52 with fasteners 66. Actuator 151 ismounted to bracket 65 by pin 70 and clips 71 such that actuator 151 ispivotable about pin 70. Another screw eye bolt 68 is mounted to thepiston 151a of actuator 151. Bracket 60a is then mounted to screw eyebolt 68 using bolt 69 and nut 67. Consequently, linear movement ofpiston 151a of actuator 151 will pivot servo 150 about axis 64.

Scribe saw head 72 is supported on ball screw actuator 150a of servo150, and preferably is allowed to rotate about the longitudinal axis ofthe ball screw to enable the head to automatically adjust to maintain arelatively constant cutting depth as it scribes a pork side. Preferably,the cutting depth of the scribe saw blade is between 3/8 and 3/4 inch,more preferably about 1/2 inch.

A bracket 74a is rotatably mounted to ball screw actuator 150a throughthreaded bolt 83, cover 82, spacers 81, bushing 80, and spring arm 76mounted to slotted collar 78 with fasteners 88, and having a threadedstop 86a mounted thereto with nuts 86b. A bracket 74b is secured tobracket 74a with fasteners 91b and bushings 91c. The configuration ofbracket 74a provides the automatic height adjustment for the saw bladeby permitting bracket 74a to pivot about the ball screw actuator 150a.

A saw blade mounting assembly includes shaft 90, which is rotatablymounted to bracket 74a through a pair of sleeves 75, a cap 77 and afastener 73. A clamping bracket 92a and clamp 92b are affixed to theshaft by bolts 99a. A spring 99c is affixed at one end to clamp 92b byfastener 99b, and at the other end to the threaded stop of spring arm76. This configuration allows for automatic adjustment of cutting depthsince head assembly 72 will be urged downward by spring 99c, and the sawblade will therefore ride along the surface of a pork side duringscribing.

Bracket 74a also provides a forward steering coupling for shaft 90,which enables shaft 90 to "caster" and permit the scribe saw blade 85 tobe steered through the pork side in response to lateral adjustments byservo 150. This castering operation may be controllably inhibited by alocking mechanism 87 (preferably an air cylinder) mounted to bracket 74bwith fasteners 91a. A clamping bar 89a is mounted to mechanism 87 byfastener 89b, such that by activating locking mechanism 87, clamping bar89a prevents lateral pivoting of head assembly 72 to locate the sawblade at a known fixed orientation. As discussed below, the blade ispreferably locked in position when the starting point of the scribe cutis being found, then the blade is unlocked once scribing begins topermit the blade to be steered through the pork side.

The other end of shaft 90 is mounted to a bracket 93a by fasteners 97and plate 96. The rotational position of bracket 93a about shaft 90 maybe adjusted through this mounting configuration. Preferably, the bracketis about 0 to 30 degrees, more preferably about 15 degrees, offset fromvertical.

A drive member 84, supporting scribe saw blade 85, is mounted to bracket93a using fasteners 95 and washers 98. Drive member 84 has apressure-driven drive means for driving or rotating the saw blade, whichis preferably a Jarvis air motor. A connection to a source ofpressurized air (not shown in FIG. 6) is provided on drive member 84 toactuate blade 85.

An opposing bracket 93b is mounted to drive member 84 with fastener 94.Bracket 93b includes the runner which is designed to ride along a sideof pork and automatically maintain the 1/2 inch cutting depth for scribesaw blade 85.

Therefore, scribe saw assembly 50 may be controlled to follow a desiredprofile by activating the scribe saw blade, lowering the blade into anoperating position using actuator 151, and then controlling servo 150 tovary the lateral placement of the scribe saw blade as the pork side isconveyed past the blade. The lateral positioning of the scribe saw blademay be initially locked by mechanism 87 to assist in reliably findingthe starting position, then mechanism 87 may be released to permit theblade to be steered through the pork side. The cutting depth of the sawblade is maintained by the runner on bracket 93a inducing a rotation ofbracket 74 relative to ball screw actuator 150a. Then, once the porkside has passed scribe saw assembly 50, the scribe saw blade may then bede-activated and the assembly raised by actuator 151. Further, as willbe described below, it may be desirable to shut down the blade and raisethe assembly at a predetermined point along the pork side after the ribshave been suitably scribed.

Various modifications may be made to the preferred scribe saw assemblyconsistent with the invention. For example, direct control over theheight of the scribe saw head may be provided to generate a customcutting depth profile for pork sides. Other modifications will also beappreciated.

C. Loin Knife Assembly

FIGS. 7a, 7b and 7c show loin knife assembly 100 in greater detail. Loinknife assembly 100 is used to separate the pork loin from the pork bellyonce the scribe cut has been made through the ribs. The separation ismade by a loin knife which has an arcuate U-shaped blade, similar to thetype of hand-held knife used by human operators. Through control of theknife blade along several axes, assembly 100 preferably produces anoptimum separation between loin and belly, with a desired fat coveringleft on the loin.

Loin knife assembly 100 includes an arm assembly 110, a pivotal couplingassembly 111 and a head assembly 120. Pivotal coupling assembly 111,shown in FIG. 7a, provides the mounting mechanism for securing the loinknife assembly to frame 11. Arm assembly 110, shown in FIG. 7b, providesthree axes of motion for the loin knife, and includes a cylindricalshaft 112 for supporting an arm 114. Head assembly 120, shown in FIG.7c, provides a mounting assembly for the knife blade, and allows forlateral adjustments of each side of the blade.

Turning to FIG. 7a, pivotal coupling assembly 111 is rotatably mountedto loin knife support 16, which is in turn mounted to beam 12 of frame11 by brackets 16a and bolts 16b. Assembly 111 includes a shaft 111amounted to support 16 by brackets 111e and fasteners 111f throughbearings 111b. A pair of brackets 111d are mounted to shaft 111a byfasteners 111g and using spacers 111c. A shaft 112 (part of arm assembly110) is mounted to brackets 111d by brackets 111h and fasteners 111j. Inthis configuration, pivotal coupling assembly 111 permits shaft 112 topivot along an arcuate path about axis 119a.

Turning to FIG. 7b, arm assembly 110 includes an arm 114 pivotallyconnected to shaft 112 at a first end through a universal joint 113,which includes a lateral pivot mount 113a mounted to shaft 112 withfasteners 113d, a climb/dive pivot mount 113c mounted to arm 114, and apivot member 113b interconnected therebetween to allow pivoting abouttwo axes, a lateral axis 119b (which permits vertical movement of thearm) and a vertical axis 119c (which permits lateral movement of thearm). A cover (not shown for illustrative purposes) is preferablyincluded over universal joint 113 for protecting the assembly from dustand debris.

Arm 114 includes a number of members which orient a head assemblyreceiving shaft 114a generally offset a fixed distance from the pivotpoint formed by universal joint 113 to provide vertical (climb/dive) andlateral movement of head assembly 120. Several members on arm 114 areoffset from the pivot points provided by universal joint 113 to enablethe linear actuator servos (discussed below) to induce the lateral andclimb/dive displacement of head assembly 120. In particular, firstvertical member 114b provides a climb/dive offset from the pivot pointof the arm, and lateral member 114e provides lateral offset therefrom.Horizontal member 114c and second vertical member 114d are in turncoupled between vertical member 114b and head assembly receiving shaft114a (forming a second end of the arm) to orient the end of shaft 114aproximate the longitudinal axis of shaft 112 for balancing the arm.

Other configurations of arm 114 may be used consistent with theinvention. However, it has been found that the particular arrangement ofmembers 114a-e is preferred because the assembly is substantiallybalanced during operation. As will be discussed below, head assembly 120"steers" the knife blade through the pork side (i.e., the blade trailsbehind the head assembly). Consequently, it is important to orient theshaft 114a in front of universal joint 113 and proximate thelongitudinal axis of shaft 112 to enable the knife blade to trail thehead assembly in a fluid and stable manner.

A number of linear actuator servos, including rotational servo 158,climb/dive servo 154 and lateral servo 152, are used to control thepositioning of loin knife assembly 100 about different axes. Each servois controlled in a manner which will be discussed in greater detailbelow.

Rotational servo 158 is disposed within a compartment 158a, and includesa pair of brackets 158b secured thereto by fasteners 158c. One ofbrackets 158b includes a bushing 158d secured by fastener 158e. Bushing158d is secured by fasteners 158f to a bracket 115d, which is in turnfastened to beam 16c through fasteners 115e. The actuator arm of servo158 projects through the other bracket 158b, and includes a bushing 158gmounted at the end thereof. Bushing 158g is connected to shaft 112through a linkage including brackets 115a and 115b and fasteners 115c,using fastener 158h and sleeve 158j. The linear action of this servoprovides rotation around axis 119a (shown in FIG. 7a), which enables theknife blade to be rotated generally along the longitudinal axis of thepork side.

Climb/dive servo 154 and lateral servo 152 are each mounted on a bracket116 on shaft 112. Bracket 116 includes first and second beams 116a and116b, and is mounted to shaft 112 by bracket 116c and bolts 116d.

Climb/dive servo 154 is disposed within a compartment 154a, and includesa pair of brackets 154b secured thereto by fasteners 154c. One ofbrackets 154b includes a bushing 154d secured by fastener 154e. Bushing154d is secured by fasteners 154f to a bracket 116e, which is in turnfastened to first beam 116a through fasteners 116f. The actuator arm ofservo 154 projects through the other bracket 154b, and includes abushing 154g. mounted at the end thereof. Bushing 154g is connected tobracket 114f on arm 114 by fastener 154h and sleeve 154j. The linearaction of this servo provides rotation around axis 119b, which enablesthe knife blade to be raised and lowered relative to the pork side.

Lateral servo 152 is disposed within a compartment 152a, and includes apair of brackets 152b secured thereto by fasteners 152c. One of brackets152b includes a bushing 152d secured by fastener 152e. Bushing 152d issecured by fasteners 152f to a bracket 116g, which is in turn fastenedto second beam 116b through fasteners 116h. The actuator arm of servo152 projects through the other bracket 152b, and includes a bushing 152gmounted at the end thereof. Bushing 152g is connected to a bracket (notshown) on member 114e of arm 114 by fastener 152h and sleeve 152j. Thelinear action of this servo provides rotation around axis 119c, whichenables the knife blade to be displaced laterally relative to the porkside.

Servos 152, 154 and 158 are preferably type S3007 servos manufactured byReliance Electric. Other known servos or actuators may be used in thealternative.

Turning to FIG. 7c, head assembly 120 provides a fourth axis of motionfor loin knife assembly 100, while providing a leading steering couplingtherefor to lead a knife blade 121 through the pork side. As discussedabove, knife blade 121 is preferably an arcuate, U-shaped, stainlesssteel blade sharpened on its forward facing edge, which is similar indesign to a hand-held loin pulling knife. Knife blade 121 has a first(right) side 121a and a second (left) side 121b.

Head assembly 120 is mounted on head assembly receiving shaft 114a ofarm assembly 110 through a pivot block assembly 132. Assembly 132includes a pivot block 132a which receives shaft 114a through a wearresistant insert 132b that allows pivot block 132a to pivot around shaft114a. A spring plate 132g mounted to vertical member 114d of arm 114with fasteners 132h engages pivot block 132a to bias the head assemblyto a centered position.

A head bracket assembly 133 is mounted to pivot block assembly 132 by arunner, or horizontal plate, 133a which is secured to pivot block 132aby a fastener 132f projecting through a flanged insert 132e. Left andright brackets 133c and 133f, which are secured to plate 133a byfasteners 133g, are also coupled to pivot block 132a by pins 132creceived in wear-resistant inserts 132d fitting into first apertures inthe brackets, thereby allowing the head bracket assembly to rotate abouta lateral axis defined by pins 132c.

Furthermore, first and second loin knife width servos 156 and 157 areeach disposed in a separate compartment 156a and 157a each having accesspanels 156b and 157b secured by fasteners 156c and 157c, and are mountedrespectively to brackets 133c and 133f by fasteners 133h. Servos 156 and157 are stepper motor servos, such as the S3007 manufactured by RelianceElectric, although other known servos may also be used in thealternative.

As discussed above, pivot block assembly 122 permits lateral andvertical pivoting of the head assembly relative to arm 114, such thathead assembly 120 may be steered through a pork side by the forwardsteering coupling provided by arm 114. This "castering" operation may becontrollably inhibited by a locking mechanism 139. As discussed below,the head assembly is preferably locked in position when the startingpoint of the loin knife cut is being found, then the head assembly isunlocked once cutting begins to permit the blade to be steered throughthe pork side. Locking mechanism 139 includes a pair of air cylinders139a which are mounted to member 114b of arm 114 by brackets 139b, 139eand 139f and fasteners 139c and 139g. A clamping arm 139d is mounted tocompartment 157a, and is allowed to slide between the air cylinders 139awhen they are not activated. However, when the cylinders are activated,they clamp on to arm 139d to lock the head assembly in a fixed position.

The relative position of head bracket assembly 133 with respect to pivotblock assembly 132 is controlled by a climb/dive angle adjustmentassembly 137, which includes a threaded stop 137c threadably received inbracket 137a. This bracket is mounted to right bracket 123f throughanother bracket 137b using fasteners 137d, so that the end of stop 137cengages pivot block 132a. By threading stop 137c in or out of bracket137a, the unloaded climb/dive angle of knife blade 121 may be set torotate the knife blade angle in relation to the pivot point centerlinethrough pivot block 132a.

A pair of servo linkage assemblies 134 transfer the rotational motion ofservos 156 and 157 into linear width adjustments for each side 121a and121b of knife blade 121. Each assembly 134 is substantially the same.The primary component of each assembly 134 is a ball screw 134a which isrotatably received in the second apertures in the respective bracket133c or 133f through bearings 134b.

A first timing pulley is mounted on ball screw 134a, and it includes agear 134j sandwiched between pulley halves 134h and secured thereto byfasteners 134k. A second timing pulley is mounted on the rotationalshaft of the respective servo 156 or 157 through a member 134d. Thesecond timing pulley includes a gear 134f, mounted on member 134d, andsandwiched between pulley halves 134e and secured thereto by fasteners134g. A timing belt 134c interconnects the first and second timingpulleys, whereby rotation of the respective servo shaft rotates ballscrew 134a. A bearing 1341 is disposed between the ball screws 134a.

A pair of sliding assemblies 135 are coupled to ball screws 134a and arearranged to slide generally along plate 133a in response to a rotationof the respective ball screw by servo 156 or 157. One assembly 135 isprovided for each side of knife blade 121 to allow each side to beadjusted independently. Each includes a slotted member 135a adapted toslide along a flange 133b of plate 133a. A block 135b is mounted toslotted member 135a through fasteners 135c, and a bracket 135d is thenmounted to block 135b through fasteners 135g. A threaded member 135e,mounted to bracket 135d by fasteners 135f, then receives one end of therespective ball screw 134a, whereby a rotation of a ball screw causesthe respective threaded member 135e to be threaded along the ball screw,resulting in the respective sliding assembly 135 sliding along flange133b of plate 133a. While sliding assemblies 135 are shown sliding alonga single horizontal plate, it will be appreciated that differentrunners, e.g. shafts, may be used as alternatives to a plate, andfurther, that each sliding assembly may slide on a separate runner.

Knife blade 121 is mounted at each side to one of the sliding assemblies135 through separate blade bracket assemblies 136. Each blade bracketassembly 136 includes a recessed member 136a which is rotatably mountedon block 135b of the respective sliding assembly 135 through a pin 136b,thus allowing each side of the knife blade to rotate about a verticalaxis defined by pins 136b. Knife blade 121 is secured to a pair of bladebrackets 136h and 136j with fasteners 136g. Brackets 136h and 136j arecoupled to recessed members 136a through pivot blocks 136c, fastened tomembers 136a through fasteners 136d, and coupled to brackets 136h and136j through pins 136e fastened by fasteners 136f. This configurationpermits each side of knife blade 121 to individually rotate about thelongitudinal axis of pins 136e. Different types of blade fasteners,e.g., quick-connect blade fasteners, may also be used.

Consequently, rotation of either servo 156 or 157 will slide therespective sliding assembly 135 along plate 133a, thereby laterallydisplacing the respective side 121a or 121b of knife blade 121.Independent lateral adjustment of the sides of the blade are thereforeprovided.

A hold down assembly 138 is also optionally provided on head assembly120. Assembly 138 includes a runner 138a which is disposed forward ofthe first side 121a of blade 121 to spread apart the scribe cut formedby scribe saw assembly 50 during the cutting operation of loin knifeassembly 100. It is believed that by spreading apart the cut, thepossibility of hitting the ends of the scribed ribs is minimized,thereby improving the loin cutting and lengthening the life of the knifeblade. Alternatively, the cut may be spread by dropping down thebackbone side of the meat after scribing, either by mechanical means orby simply not supporting the backbone side of the meat during the loinpulling operation.

In operation, loin knife assembly 100 provides four axes of motion forknife blade 121. A first or vertical axis of motion is defined bylateral axis 119b and controlled by a first moving means (servo 154)displacing vertical member 114b of arm 114. This axis of motion providesclimb/dive or vertical displacement (i.e., to raise or lower the knifeblade).

A second axis of motion is defined by axis 119c and controlled by asecond moving means (servo 152) displacing lateral member 114e of arm114. This axis of motion provides lateral displacement (i.e., to movethe knife blade side-to-side).

A third axis of motion is defined by axis 119d and controlled by a thirdmoving means, which includes first and second lateral moving means(servos 156 and 157), independently displacing the sliding assemblies135 that secure each side of knife blade 121. This motion allowsindependent adjustment of the lateral placement of each side of theknife blade, thereby enabling the sides to follow separate profiles.

A fourth axis of motion is defined by longitudinal axis 119a andcontrolled by a fourth moving means (servo 158) displacing shaft 112.This axis of motion provides rotational adjustment of knife blade 121along a longitudinal axis of the pork side.

Several important features are provided by the preferred construction ofloin knife assembly 100. For example, the preferred construction allowsfor independent control of each side of knife blade 121 by the separateaction of servos 156 and 157.

Another important feature of the preferred construction is that thevarious displacements of the knife blade occur through a steeringcoupling which "leads" or "steers" the knife blade through the porkside, providing more natural anthropomorphic motions. It will beappreciated that since knife blade 121 is cutting through solid meat,the blade may not simply be moved to any position when desired. Inparticular, any adjustments to the position of the knife blade must begradual enough to enable knife blade to work its way to the desiredposition, otherwise the knife may jam or break, or the pork side maybecome dislodged from the supporting platen.

In the preferred construction, the knife is located behind the forwardpoint of arm 114, which is head assembly receiving shaft 114a, whichprovides a forward steering coupling that enables knife blade 121 tooperate much the same as a caster. Therefore, any displacement of thehead assembly will merely urge the knife blade in the desired directionuntil the desired displacement is achieved naturally.

This desired motion is further enhanced by the preferred constructiondue to the multiple pivot points provided for the knife blade. Inparticular, pivot block assembly 132 allows the entire head assembly 120to pivot about a lateral axis (i.e., across the width of a pork side) aswell as about a vertical axis (i.e., transverse to the plane of the porkside). Furthermore, recessed members 136a enable each side of the knifeblade to separately pivot slightly about a vertical axis, and pivotblocks 136c enable each side of the knife blade to separately pivotabout a longitudinal axis (i.e. along length of pork side). Thecombination of these pivot points gives the knife blade the freedom tobe steered to the desired positions as it cuts through the pork side. Inaddition, since the knife blade is substantially freer than manyconventional designs, it is believed that jamming and breaking of theblade will be reduced since the knife blade will not be as likely to beforced to follow a path beyond its structural capabilities.

The freedom of movement of provided by the multiple pivot points in thepreferred loin knife assembly may be adjusted as necessary (e.g.,through springs or other counterforce mechanisms) to balance thecontrollability of the knife blade (which ensures proper positioningthereof) with the flexibility of the knife blade (which ensures morefluid motion and easier passage through a side of meat). Moreover, analternate embodiment of the loin knife assembly may have themultiple-pivot points locked in place, or eliminated altogether, toprovide maximum controllability for the knife blade. For example, FIG.7c shows an optional locking mechanism 131 which uses a threaded rod131a having bushing ends 131b to lock the pivot points on the headassembly. The rod is connected at one end by a fastener 131e to abracket 131c fastened to the head assembly with fasteners 131d. The rodis connected at the other end by a fastener 131e to a bracket 131gfastened to another bracket 131f by fasteners 131k. Bracket 131f is inturn mounted to shaft 112 by bracket 131h and fasteners 131j.

Several modifications may be made to the preferred construction of theloin knife assembly consistent with the invention. For example, othermechanisms for moving the blade sides on a head assembly (e.g., as analternative to ball screws and sliding assemblies) may be used, such aspivoting assemblies or alternate mechanical linkages. However, it isbelieved that the preferred construction would be simpler, lessexpensive and would remain more balanced regardless of the particularorientation of the knife blade.

In addition, the loin knife assembly may provide fewer axes of motion,e.g. by eliminating rotational control or lateral arm control (i.e.,servos 152 and 158), since the combination of the vertical armadjustment and the individual lateral adjustments of the knife bladesides provides a significant amount of control over a loin pullingoperation. To this extent, universal joint 113 may be eliminated iflateral arm adjustments are not used. However, it is believed that withthe preferred configuration, sophisticated, yet natural anthropomorphicknife blade motion may be obtained with less complexity and with greaterflexibility.

FIG. 8 shows one alternative head assembly design 120' which may be usedas an alternative to assembly 120 in FIG. 7c. Instead of including twoseparate servos for independently adjusting the sides of blade 121,assembly 120' includes a single servo 156' which varies the separationbetween the blade sides to control the width of the knife blade. Throughthe combination of width adjustment of the blade using servo 156' andlateral adjustment of the arm servo 156', first and second lateralmoving means may still be defined to respectively control the sides ofblade 121 to follow separate profiles which are generally independentfrom one another.

Head assembly 120' includes a pivot block assembly 122 which includes apivot block 122a receiving shaft 114a of arm 114 through an insert 122b.A head bracket assembly 123 is mounted to pivot block assembly 122 by ahorizontal plate 123a secured to pivot block 122a by a fastener 122fprojecting through insert 122e. Left and right brackets 123c and 123f,which are secured to plate 123a by fasteners 123g and include spacers123d, are also coupled to pivot block 122a by pins 122c received ininserts 122d. A loin knife width servo 156' is mounted to right bracket123f by fasteners 123h.

The relative position of head bracket assembly 123 with respect to pivotblock assembly is controlled by a climb/dive angle adjustment assembly127, which includes a threaded stop 127a threadably received in bracket127b mounted to the edges of brackets 123c and 123f, so that the end ofstop 127a engages pivot block 122a.

A servo linkage assembly 124 includes a single double threaded ballscrew 124a which is rotatably received in brackets 123c and 123f throughbearings 124b. A first timing pulley, including a gear 124j sandwichedbetween pulley halves 124h and secured thereto by fasteners 124k, ismounted on ball screw 124a through a member 124g. A second timingpulley, including a gear 124f sandwiched between pulley halves 124e andsecured thereto by fasteners 124g, is mounted on the rotational shaft ofservo 156' through a member 124d. A timing belt 124c interconnects thefirst and second timing pulleys, thereby rotation of the servo shaftrotates ball screw 124a.

A pair of sliding assemblies 125 are used, each including a slottedmember 125a adapted to slide along a flange 123b of plate 123a. A block125b is mounted to slotted member 125a through fasteners 125c, and abracket 125d is then mounted to block 125b through fasteners 125g. Athreaded member 125e, mounted to bracket 125d by fasteners 125f, thenreceives one end of double threaded ball screw 124a. Threaded members125e are preferably equidistant from the center of the ball screw tomaintain sliding assemblies 125 evenly spaced from center of headassembly 120 to better balance loin knife assembly 100.

Knife blade 121 is mounted at each side to one of the sliding assemblies125 through blade bracket assemblies 126. Each blade bracket assembly126 includes a recessed member 126a rotatably mounted on block 125b ofsliding assembly 125 through a pin 126b. A blade bracket 126d, includinga blade fastener 126e mounted thereon for retaining the side of knifeblade 121, is coupled to recessed member 126a through pivot blocks 126fand 126g fastened to the respective members by fasteners 126k. The pivotblocks 126f and 126g are in turn coupled together by a pin 126h fastenedat each end by fasteners 126j.

Other modifications to the loin knife assembly, will be appreciated byone skilled in the art.

D. Electronic Control System

FIG. 9 shows a block diagram of the preferred electronic control system170. The primary components of control system 170 are a main controller172, a motion controller 180 and an imaging/vision system 190.

Main controller (host PC) 172 provides the primary control over controlsystem 170. In particular, controller 172 coordinates the activities ofmotion controller 180 and imaging system 190 to actuate apparatus 10 toperform the loin separation processes. Cutting profiles for the scribesaw and loin-pulling assemblies are preferably generated in controller172 in response to image data provided by imaging system 190. Then,after profiles are calculated, controller 172 also communicates withmotion controller 180 to coordinate the actions of scribe saw assembly50 and loin knife assembly 100 as a side is conveyed through theapparatus. Moreover, controller 172 controls a number of secondarycomponents through a secondary driver 161.

Controller 172 also provides a user interface for operating,programming, modifying, diagnosing, etc. apparatus 10. Diagnosticinformation, as well as production data, may also be stored incontroller 172. Other system overseeing functions may also beincorporated into controller 172.

Controller 172 is preferably an IBM® Compatible personal computer, suchas the type based upon an Intel® 486 or Pentium microprocessor. It willbe appreciated, however, that other computer systems, eithercommercially available or custom designed, may be used in thealternative.

Controller 172 communicates with imaging system 190 through a dedicatedbus 174, which is preferably a standard EISA bus on an IBM-compatiblePC. The primary function of imaging system 190 is to provide imagingdata and digital image processing to controller 172 for determining thenecessary modifications to pre-programmed scribe and loin pull profilesbased upon the dimensions of the pork side. In the preferred controlsystem 170, imaging system 190 provides both static and dynamicinformation about pork sides to assist in optimizing the scribe and loinpulling operations.

Imaging system 190 includes a visioning processor, preferably a MatroxVisioning System Model IM-640, manufactured by Matrox ElectronicSystems, Ltd. of Quebec, Canada. Other commercially available imagingsystems may be used in the alternative. In the Matrox system, abaseboard 192 includes a pair of processors. The first, a graphicssignal processor, handles information exchange with controller 172,controls the overall visioning processor system, supervises the parallelprocessing functions for the system, and controls the imaging cameraswhich provide the images of each side of pork. The second, a floatingpoint unit, performs specialized and processor-intensive numericaloperations to support the graphics signal processor.

An internal proprietary image bus 191 in the Matrox system handlesinformation exchange between baseboard 192 and a real time processor194. Real time processor 194 provides several standard image processingroutines, including routines for neighborhood processing (e.g., edgedetection, filters and convolutions), spatial filters, pattern matchingconvolutions and thresholding, among others.

As discussed above, baseboard 192 of imaging system 190 controls severalcameras that provide image data regarding each side of pork processed byapparatus 10: a top plan camera 196, an end view camera 197 and a fatline camera 198. The first, top plan camera 196, is primarily used todetermine the primary physical dimensions and characteristics of a sidefor generating the profiles for the scribe saw and loin knifeassemblies.

As shown in FIG. 1, top plan camera 196 is positioned directly aboveplaten 20 in the loading position, whereby a top plan image of the porkside may be captured immediately after the platen is activated and thepork side is securely positioned thereon. A plurality of lights 140 arepositioned proximate platen 20 and are angled to project a highintensity light against the top surface of the pork side. At the angleshown in FIG. 1, about 35 degrees from horizontal, it has been foundthat the light creates a particularly strong shadowline directly alongbackbone due to the typical contours of a pork side, to the extent thata binarized (or digitized) image of the pork side taken with camera 196will have a brightly lit (white) area for the ribs, with a dimly lit(black) area for the backbone. As such, the imaging system has littledifficulty in determining the positioning and curvature of the backbonetherefrom. It will be appreciated, however, that other positioning forlights 140 may also be used in the alternative, given the patternmatching capabilities of the preferred imaging system. Further, as willbe discussed below, it may be preferable to take a second image withcamera 196 while lights 140 are not on, to gain additional dimensionaldata regarding the pork side.

The second imaging camera, end view camera 197, is primarily used todetermine the height of the pork side and the positioning of the"T"-shaped blade bone of the pork side on the leading surface thereof,both for aiding in the calculation of starting points for the loin knifeand scribe saw profiles. As shown in FIG. 1, camera 197 is preferablypositioned proximate scribe saw assembly 50 and angled forward to viewthe leading end of the pork side when platen 20 is in a loading positionprior to the scribing operation. Light source 140 may be used to projecthigh intensity light on the top surface of the pork side to create aclear delineation along the top edge of the end of the pork side. Again,two images may be taken, one with the lighting and one without, toobtain the preferred image data for generating the assembly profiles.

The third imaging camera, fat/lean separation line camera 198, isprimarily used to provide dynamic (real-time) image data of the fat/leanseparation line for the pork side proximate the backbone. Controller 172uses this information to dynamically modify the cutting profile of loinknife assembly 100 so that the assembly follows a fixed distance fromthe separation line to provide the optimum fat cover for the loin. Asshown in FIG. 1, camera 198 is preferably positioned proximate loinknife assembly 100 facing inwardly. Preferably, the field of view ofcamera 198 is adjusted to focus on the positioning of the fat/leanseparation line within a relatively small area so that the image datamay be coordinated with the small incremental movements of the platen.

Cameras 196, 197 and 198 are preferably GP-MS112 cameras manufactured byPanasonic, although other cameras suitable for this purpose areavailable. The magnification, focus and sensitivity of each may beoptimized for the different applications of the cameras, e.g., forcamera 196, the field of view is preferably the entire top surface ofthe pork side, for camera 197, the field of view is preferably just theend surface of the pork side, and for camera 198, the field of view ispreferably a small area of the fat/lean separation line which is a knowndistance from the loin knife assembly.

It has been found that certain types of supplemental lighting may alsobe used to enhance the imaging capabilities of imaging system 190. Forexample, as shown in FIG. 1, a pair of lighting systems 302 and 304 maybe used to provide overall illumination of a pork side during imaging.In particular, lighting systems 302 and 304 are preferably mercury vaporlamps, which have been found to possess light wavelengths thataccentuate the interface between fat and lean on a pork side. Inparticular, light wavelengths in the order of 380 to 760 nanometers arepreferred (more preferably about 550 to 600 nanometers), which may beprovided by different lighting systems, such as those manufactured byGeneral Electric, Stonco, etc. Lighting systems 302 and 304 may becontinuously on during the operation of apparatus 10, or alternatively,may be turned on and off (or selectively shielded)to operate only duringthe imaging cycles of apparatus 10.

One skilled in the art will appreciate that various connections,peripheral components, etc. may be necessary to drive cameras withvisioning system 190. Furthermore, it will be appreciated that theprogramming and data exchange necessary for controller 172 tocommunicate with and control an imaging system in the manner describedherein is generally known in art, for example as exemplified by theMatrox IM 640 IMAGE Series Programming Manual, which is incorporatedherein by reference.

Returning to FIG. 9, controller 172 also communicates with a motioncontroller 180 through a dedicated bus 173, which is also preferably astandard EISA bus on an IBM-compatible PC. The primary function ofmotion controller 180 is to control the different servos used in thescribing and loin pulling operations. Controller 172 provides thedesired positioning data (profile) for each servo to motion controller180 on a real-time basis during cycling of apparatus 10.

Motion controller 180 preferably includes a PMAC Programmable Multi-AxisController, manufactured by Delta Tau Data Systems of Northridge, Calif.Other known motion controllers may also be used in the alternative.Motion controller 180 also includes an internal bus 182, driven by thePMAC Controller, which communicates with a plurality of servo drivers,each of which drives one of the servos, which include scribe saw lateralservo 150, scribe saw lift actuator 151, loin knife arm lateral servo152, loin knife climb/dive servo 154, first and second loin knife bladelateral servos 156 and 157, loin knife rotational servo 158 and platenposition servo 160. The preferred servo drivers are Electro-CraftBRU-200 Servo Drivers manufactured by Reliance Electric. This type ofservo driver accepts +/-10 VDC Analog signals; consequently, it will beappreciated that the PMAC Controller and internal bus 182 will includeall necessary amplifiers, buffers, and other peripheral components forproviding suitable control signals to each servo driver. In addition, itwill be appreciated that the programming and data exchange between maincontroller 172 and motion controller 180 is generally known in the art,for example as exemplified by the Delta Tau Version 1.13 PMAC ReferenceManual by Data Systems, Inc., which is incorporated herein by reference.It will further be appreciated that different modifications may be madeto the preferred design, and that other motion controllers known in theart may also be used.

Main controller 172 also controls several peripheral components througha secondary driver 161 across a bus 176. Most components are valves forpressure driven devices in apparatus 10, such as Model 082SA415MLS3BA452B solenoid valves manufactured by Numatics, Inc. For example,controller 172 preferably controls valves 350 and 352 between an airpressure source (not shown) and the outer and inner gripper hookcylinders. Further, another valve 166 supplies a source of pressure tothe scribe saw blade driving means to drive the blade during thescribing operation. Also, another air valve is driven by controller 172to actuate push-off cylinder 162 to eject loins from apparatus 10.Moreover, a pair of air valves are driven by controller 172 to actuatethe scribe saw and loin knife locking mechanisms 87 and 139 forselectively locking the steering couplings of the respective assemblies.

Secondary driver 161 may also be used to receive a signal from anoperating switch 17. As shown in FIG. 1, switch 17 is used by anoperator to activate apparatus 10 to initiate a loin separation cycle.Preferably, switch 17 is of the type which will initiate a cycle on whenthe operator is clear of machine, primarily for safety reasons. One typeof device suitable for use as switch 17 is an OTDVNG switch manufacturedby Banner Engineering Corp., which will not initiate a cycle until bothof an operator's hands on placed on separate infrared sensors. Othersuitable safety actuation switches are known in the art.

Returning to FIG. 9, other inputs and outputs may be routed through tosecondary driver 161 as desired. Further, different buffers, relays,amplifiers, A/D or D/A converters and other peripheral components may benecessary for allowing controller 172 to send and receive signals fromthe devices interfaced through driver 161. Other modifications andchanges may be made to driver 161 as desired.

Various modifications and changes may be made to control system 170consistent with the invention. For example, additional imaging andmotion functionality may be included to provide more sophisticatedprofiles using the preferred scribe saw and loin knife assemblies. Also,the design of control system 170 may be modified to incorporatedifferent accessory components on apparatus 10. Other modifications willbe appreciated by one skilled in the art.

E. Operation/Software Configuration

With the preferred design of apparatus 10 as discussed above, a porkside may be separated into the pork loin and pork belly portions withsubstantially greater accuracy and efficiency. As shown in FIGS. 10a-c,a typical pork side 1 includes a backbone 7 which follows a generallycurving profile viewed from above. A fat/lean separation line 6 is shownalong the outer edge of pork side 1 when viewed from the top and endviews, and a "T"-shaped blade bone 5 is shown viewed from the end ofpork side 1.

The desired scribe saw cut is designated by line 2. It is preferable tocut the ribs as close as feasible to the backbone, preferably along aline which is separated from backbone 7 by about 11/4 inch and whichfollows the general contour of the backbone. The preferred depth ofscribe cut 2 is about 1/2 inch, which is sufficient to sever the ribs.Moreover, in the preferred embodiment, it is desirable to stop thescribe cut as soon as possible after the last rib is cut to minimize theamount the scribe saw cuts into the tenderloin area following the rib,which could otherwise decrease the quality of the pork side.

The general profile of the loin knife preferably simulates the motionsof a human operator. At the entry point into the pork side, the rightside of the knife blade 121 enters at the scribe cut, and the left sideof the blade preferably enters 0.1 inches from the fat/lean separationline. The bottom of the blade enters below the "T"-shaped blade bone.

The desired loin pull cut is shown by lines 3a, 3b and 4, whichrespectively show the preferred paths for the right side, the left sideand bottom of knife blade 121 (when facing the sharpened edge of blade121). The right side 121a of knife blade 121 preferably follows scribecut 2 along line 3a. The left side 121b of knife blade 121 preferablyfollows line 3b, which is a fixed distance (preferably 0.1 inch) fromfat/lean separation line 6, and which generally follows the contourthereof. As discussed above, a 0.1 inch fat covering sufficiently keepsthe loin from drying out, but doesn't make the loin look too fat. Otherfat thicknesses may be desired in the alternative. The bottom of knifeblade 121 also generally follows line 4 (shown in FIG. 10b), whichgenerally travels below blade bone 5 proximate the fat/lean separationarea along the bottom of the pork side.

In addition, it may be desired to cause the profiles of the left andright sides and the bottom of blade 121 to dive and flare out, typicallya fixed distance after point 9 (FIG. 10a), which maximizes the amount ofham pulled with the loin and misses the aitch bone. As the blade divesand flares out; however, it is preferable to control the left side ofthe blade to follow the fat/lean separation line throughout the entireprofile.

FIG. 11 shows a flowchart for the software control of a preferredoperating cycle 210 for apparatus 10. The preferred cycle is initiatedin block 211 by an operator activating switch 17 when the operator hasproperly positioned a pork side on the platen. It will be appreciatedthat a pork side may alternatively be placed on the platen by automateddevices such as conveyors, robotic arms, etc.

The first step in the cycle is to activate gripper platen 20 in block212. This step includes sending the appropriate signals to secondarydriver 161 as discussed above to first activate valve 350 for the outergripper hooks and subsequently activate valve 352 for the inner gripperhooks.

Once the pork side has been secured to the platen, control passes toblock 230 to determine the preferred profiles for scribe saw assembly 50and loin knife assembly 100. The profiles for the assemblies are storedas separate arrays of data points. Each array corresponds to one of theservos, and preferably includes 133 data points indexed by a commonposition index variable which may correspond to the position of platen20 (e.g., where there are 133 evenly spaced positions for the platenalong the rails). The profile generating routine is discussed in greaterdetail below with respect to FIGS. 12, 13 and 14.

The profiles are transmitted to motion controller 180 by the programloop shown in blocks 216-222. Upon initiation of routine 210, theposition index will preferably be set to index the beginning data pointsin the profile arrays. In block 216, the profile data according to thecurrent position index is transmitted to motion controller 180 toactivate each servo according to the programmed profile data. In thisblock, motion data for scribe saw assembly 50, loin knife assembly 100and platen 20 are provided to controller 180, and further, controlsignals are provided to secondary driver 161 to operate the secondarycomponents as necessary (e.g., to turn the scribe saw blade on/off, toraise/lower the scribe saw assembly, to unlock the steering couplingsonce the scribe saw and loin knife have entered the pork side, etc.).

Motion controller 180 preferably takes the data points provided bycontroller 172 and fits these points to curves for activating theindividual servo drivers. This enables motion controller 180 to ensurefor proper positioning of the servos at periodic intervals, taking intoaccount the time delays present when moving electromechanical servos.This also enables the scribe saw and loin knife blade to be steeredprogressively through the pork side by their respective forward steeringcouplings. Motion controller 180 preferably operates in a known splinemode, whereby the data points are fit to an arcuate curve betweenpoints. It will be appreciated that the motion controller may alsooperate in other modes such as a linear mode.

Concurrent with block 216, in block 220, a separate dynamic profilemodification routine executes to image the fat/lean separation line ofthe pork side using camera 198 and make real-time adjustments to theprofile of the loin knife assembly, as will be discussed in greaterdetail below. In general, the data modified in the profile is preferablyseparated in time from the data being transmitted to the motioncontroller, so no data conflicts will occur.

In block 222, the position index variable is queried to determine if theend of the profile has been reached. If not done, control is passed toblock 218 to increment the position index and return to execute blocks216 and 220 for the next position index value.

Routine 210 provides a set of data points on a periodic basis to motioncontroller 180, preferably about every 0.5 inches of movement of platen20. With the movement of platen 20 separated into 133 datapoints, thispreferably enables the platen to be cycled through apparatus 10 in about7 seconds. Including the time for activating, returning and releasingthe platen, initial imaging, and final loin ejection, as well as theoperator time for loading a pork side on the platen, it is anticipatedthat the preferred apparatus 10 should be able to process about 450 porksides per hour.

Returning to block 222, if all of the profile data has been transmittedto motion controller 180, then control is passed to block 224 to releasethe inner and outer gripper hooks by deactivating valves 350 and 352.Next, in block 226, the scribed and separated pork side is ejected fromapparatus 10. In this block, push-off cylinder 162 is activated andwithdrawn to eject the pork side from platen 20 into a hopper or bin, oralternatively onto another conveyor (not shown) for further processing.Then, once the pork side is ejected, control passes to block 228 toreturn the platen to its starting position, preferably by resetting theposition of the platen to its beginning point, and sending thisinformation to motion controller 180, which steps the platen back to itsstart position.

FIG. 12 shows the overall flow in the preferred profile generatingroutine 230. In routine 230, two separate images are preferably takenfor top and end views of the pork side in blocks 232 and 234. In block232, top and end views are taken by cameras 196 and 197 with lights 140activated to create shadowed top and end images of the pork side. Withthe high intensity lighting provided by lights 140, a definitivebackbone line will be generated in the top image, and a definitive topedge will be generated in the end image.

In block 234, similar non-shadowed top and end view images are takenusing cameras 196 and 197 without the high intensity lighting of lights140. These images provide comparatively more detail of the top and endviews of the pork side than their shadowed counterparts, and are used tosupplement the image data which may be obtained about the pork side. Inthe alternative, all of the necessary image data may be obtained fromnon-shadowed images; however, it is believed that the stark contrastsprovided by the shadowed images result in simpler and more reliabledetection of some dimensional aspects of the pork sides.

Once the images are taken in blocks 232 and 234, the images are thenprocessed in a image processing routine 240, which is shown in greaterdetail in FIG. 13. The first step in routine 240 is to generate abackbone line from the top view shadowed image taken by camera 196 inblock 242. Block 242 operates via known image processing techniques,primarily by performing noise reduction, then performing a threshholdingoperation to binarize the image (i.e., to turn all of the pixels thereinto black or white, based upon a comparison with a predetermined medianvalue), and the performing a convolution operation to detect theboundary formed by the backbone. The resulting processed image willinclude a line which follows the backbone of the pork side.

Next, in block 244, routine 240 preferably performs pattern matchingoperations to generate several points from the processed image. Aplurality of points (with corresponding x and y positions) are generatedalong the backbone line in the processed image. Preferably, 20 pointsare generated, although more or less may also be generated if desired.Also, a slope change point is calculated, which represents the pointalong the backbone line in which the slope of the line changes fromnegative to positive. Further, a "corner" point (point 8 in FIG. 10a) iscalculated via comparison with a known pattern, to find the generalcorner of the backbone line and the front end (i.e., the end viewed bycamera 197) of the pork side.

Next, in block 246, routine 240 generates a fat/lean separation line andan edge line from the non-shadowed top view image. Similar to block 242,noise reduction, thresholding and convolution are performed on thenon-shadowed image to generate both lines. However, it will beappreciated that due to the different lighting, different controlvariables, e.g., the threshold variable, from the variables used on theshadowed image will be required to generate the fat/lean separation andedge lines from the non-shadowed image. In general, the fat/leanseparation line will be distinguished by the interface between the loinmeat and the fat covering, which is typically much lighter than meat.Similarly, the edge line (representing the outer surface of the porkside proximate the fat/lean line) will be distinguished by the interfacebetween the fat covering and the platen or other supporting structureproximate the edge of the pork side.

Next, in block 248, a plurality of points (preferably 20) are generatedfor each of the fat/lean separation and edge lines using known patternmatching routines. Further, corner points, representing the ends of thelines at the end surface of the pork side, are also matched anddetermined for each line.

In block 250, the shadowed end view image is processed to generate a topedge line similar to the manner discussed above for the backbone line inblock 242. In particular, known noise reduction, threshold andconvolution routines are performed to generate a top edge line along theinterface of the top and end surfaces of the pork side.

In block 252, the corner point (point 8 in FIGS. 10a and 10c) isdetected via a pattern matching routine. The corner point corresponds tothe same corner point determined in block 244.

Next, in block 254, the non-shadowed end view image is processed togenerate end views of the fat/lean separation and the side edge of thepork side, to respectively generate end fat/lean and end edge lines.Also, in block 254, an image of the "T"-shaped blade bone is generatedin the processed image. Similar to block 246, noise reduction,thresholding and convolution are performed on the non-shadowed image togenerate the desired image components, using suitable control variables.In general, the end fat/lean separation line will be distinguished bythe interface between the loin meat and the fat covering, and the endedge line (representing the outer surface of the pork side proximate thefat/lean line) will be distinguished by the interface between the fatcovering and the platen or other supporting structure proximate the edgeof the pork side. Moreover, the blade bone interface will bedistinguished by the interface between the loin meat and the bone, sincebone is typically much lighter than meat.

In block 256, a plurality of points (preferably 20) are generated foreach of the end fat/lean separation and end edge lines using knownpattern matching routines. Further, the bottommost point of the bladebone is also calculated by pattern matching, since the blade bone has adistinctive "T" shape.

The aforementioned noise reduction, thresholding, convolution andpattern matching routines are preferably standardized routines providedwith imaging system 190. Further, the particular process controlvariables, e.g., patterns, threshold values, etc. may vary dependingupon several factors, including lighting intensity and type, type ofmeat, etc. Therefore, the particular process control variables used inthe preferred embodiment will not be discussed herein, as they may bedetermined through routine experimentation.

An additional step is performed in routine 240 before returning toroutine 230. In block 258, the height, width and length of the pork sideis calculated, using the known values calculated in the aforementionedimage processing steps, as well as knowing the position of stop 305 onplaten 20, which indicates the position of the opposite end of the porkside. It may also be preferable to compare the calculated widthsobtained from the top and end view images for error detection. It willbe appreciated that given a known positioning, magnification, and otherprocess characteristics of the image cameras, X and Y coordinates in thetop and end view images may be translated to real-world dimensions by astraightforward numerical conversion routine.

The distance from camera 197 to the end of the pork side will typicallyvary depending upon the length of the pork side. Consequently, thetranslation between the X and Y coordinates of the image and thereal-world dimensions may vary to an extent by the distance from thecamera to the pork side. Therefore, it may be preferable to include oneor more look-up tables, e.g., indexed by the length or width determinedfrom the corner point in the top view image, to vary the translation ofimage coordinates to real world dimensions for the end view image. Asimilar translation may also be used for the top view image.

In block 258, it may also be preferable to calculate a separate heightfor the ribs in addition to the height of the backbone. This informationmay also be obtained by pattern matching the shadowed end view image tofind the desired point along the ribs to take the height.

Returning to FIG. 12, the next step in routine 230 is to execute routine260 to calculate the array values for each of the scribe saw, loinknife, and platen position servos. As discussed above, loin knife armlateral servo 152, climb/dive servo 154 and first and second bladelateral servos 156 and 157 provide three axes of control for each sideof the knife blade in loin knife assembly 100. The positioning of theseservos is stored generally as-a function of the position of the platen,i.e., the motion data for each servo is stored in a numerical arrayindexed by the position index (which is also used to index or map anumerical array for the platen position servo).

In the preferred apparatus 10, a separate profile for rotational servo158 is not calculated (i.e., servo 158 is not activated during a loinpulling operation). However, it will be appreciated that a separateprofile for servo 158 may be calculated in a manner similar to those forservos 152, 154 and 156 to provide a fourth axis of control for loinknife assembly 100, and thereby provide greater flexibility and/orsimulation of anthropomorphic movement for the assembly. In addition, itwill be appreciated that due to the independent lateral adjustmentsavailable from servos 156 and 157, a separate profile for arm lateralservo 152 may not be required.

The data for the positioning of each servo will be dependent upon thedimensions of knife blade, and it will be appreciated that the data foreach servo may be calculated using known equations depending upon thedimensions and desired position of the knife blade, as well as the knownphysical displacements for each step of each servo. For example, theheight of the bottom of the blade 121 may be calculated by a knownparabolic geometric equation given the known fixed length of the blade(which forms a perimeter for the parabola) and the controlled and knownlateral positions of the sides of the blade. Since lateral adjustmentsto each side of the blade will vary the width of the blade andnecessarily affect the height of the bottom of the blade, the climb/diveadjustment may also be calculated from the known dimensions of the knifeblade.

Routine 260 is shown in greater detail in FIG. 14. In routine 260, thefirst step is to calculate the individual servo starting points in block262. As discussed above, it is preferable to control servo 150 to startthe scribe saw at a preset distance (preferably 11/4 inch) from thecorner point on the backbone line generated in routine 240. Moreover, itis preferable to control servos 152, 154, 156 and 157 to locate theright side of the loin knife blade along the scribe cut, locate the leftside of the loin knife blade 0.1 inch from the corner point of thefat/lean separation line generated in routine 240, and locate the bottomof the loin knife blade 0.1 inch from the end fat/lean separation linegenerated in routine 240.

Next, in block 264, the location of the blade bone is checked todetermine whether the bottom of the blade bone projects into the fatcover of the pork side. In some pork sides, this may be the case, andcould cause the standard starting point generation routine in block 262to cause the bottom of the knife blade to hit the blade bone. Thiscomparison may be performed by comparing the end fat/lean separationline to the bottom point of the blade bone, both of which werepreviously calculated in block 256.

If the blade bone does project into the fat cover of the pork side,control preferably passes to block 266 to modify the starting points ofservos 152, 154, 156 and 157 to lower the starting point of the bottomof the knife blade to miss the blade bone. For example, the bottom ofthe knife blade may be controlled to be located a fixed distance fromthe bottom of the blade bone.

Next, in block 268, the profile data for servo 150 is generated usingthe plurality of points generated for the backbone line in routine 240,as well as the slope change point determined in the same routine. Theprofile of scribe saw lift actuator 151 is preferably generated to lowerthe scribe saw near the beginning of the profile array (prior to the sawblade hitting the pork side), so that the height of the scribe saw willbe automatically controlled by the runners on the scribe saw headassembly. Also, servo 150 preferably follows at a fixed distance fromthe contour of the backbone line up to the last rib (which is determinedas a fixed distance from the slope change point of the backbone line).After the last rib, scribe saw lift actuator 151 is preferablyprogrammed to raise the scribe saw, and the profile of servo 150 may begenerated to center the scribe saw for the remainder of the processingof the pork side. Moreover, a profile for the scribe saw lockingmechanism 87 may be generated to lock the steering coupling up to thepoint at which the scribe saw blade enters the pork side, then to unlockthe steering coupling thereafter to allow for the "castering" operationof the steering coupling to take effect.

In block 270, the profiles of loin knife servos 152, 154, 156 and 157are controlled up to the slope change point on the generated backboneline. The profiles of the right and left sides of the knife blade areselected to follow fixed distances from the backbone line and thefat/lean separation line, respectively, and the profile data for servos152, 154, 156 and 157 are generated accordingly. Moreover, a profile forthe loin knife locking mechanism 139 may be generated to lock thesteering coupling up to the point at which the loin knife enters thepork side, then to unlock the steering coupling thereafter to allow forthe "castering" operation of the steering coupling to occur.

Next, in block 272, the profiles of the loin knife servos 152, 154, 156and 157 are controlled to dive and flare out the sides of the knifeblade at a substantially constant rate so that the width of the blade isproximate a maximum width and the bottom of the blade is at a low pointonce the end of the pork side is reached. During this period, however,the left side of the knife blade is still controlled to follow the fixeddistance from the fat/lean separation line throughout the remainder ofthe loin pulling process.

Various modifications to the aforementioned profile generation routine230 may be made consistent with the invention. For example, standardprofiles for the scribe saw and loin knife assemblies, which may bedetermined empirically, may be used and modified (for example, bydetermining lateral or height offsets from the standard profiles) basedupon the images obtained from the imaging system. In this configuration,the motion controller would preferably include a learning setup, wherebythe loin knife and scribe saw assemblies would be stepped through arepresentative cycle using a typical pork side. The position of eachservo would be individually controlled and recorded for each position ofthe platen. Then, once the entire range of datapoints were stored, theresulting profile could be "smoothed out" by a known curve-fittingalgorithm. Moreover, empirical data may alternatively be obtained fordifferent sizes and shapes of pork sides to generate additional profilesfor building a database of profiles for selection by a best fitalgorithm.

Returning to block 216 in FIG. 11, the profile data for servos 152, 154,156 and 157 are preferably dynamically modified to control the left sideof the knife blade to better follow a fixed separation from the fat/leanseparation line of the pork side.

The dynamic profile modification routine in block 220 preferablyperiodically checks the position of the fat/lean separation line at afixed position in front of knife blade 121 (i.e., a position on the porkside prior to its being cut by loin knife assembly 100). Since thisposition occurs prior to the loin pulling operation, the routine inblock 220 may not be active for the loin separation operations.

Controller 172 utilizes imaging system 190 to provide offset datadynamically for correcting the loin knife assembly profile. First,controller 172 commands imaging system 190 to capture an image of thefat/lean separation line with fat line camera 198. Then, the capturedimage is image processed, typically through noise reduction,thresholding and convolution, to generate the fat/lean separation line.The lateral position of the fat/lean separation line at a particularplaten position index value may be calculated, for example, bydetermining the X coordinate of the fat/lean separation line in theprocessed image at the appropriate Y coordinate corresponding a knownfixed position from the loin knife blade.

An appropriate position for the left side of the knife blade may becalculated for the particular platen position being processed using thelateral position data generated from the processed image describedabove. This value is compared to the actual profile data for the leftside of the knife blade from the profile data stored for servos 152,154, 156 and 157, and if the actual value is outside of an acceptablerange (i.e., greater than about a one percent deviation), the profiledata points for servos 152, 154, 156 and 157 for the remainder of theprofile data points are preferably modified to shift the left side ofthe knife blade over a distance equal to the difference between theprior profile and that calculated dynamically as described above.

It will be appreciated that other modifications may be made to thepreferred dynamic routine 220 consistent with the invention. Forexample, using suitable pattern matching, the preferred routine may beused to detect protrusions of the backbone into the fat cover, whichcould otherwise obstruct the knife blade as it passes along a normallycalculated profile. As above, the profiles of the servos 152, 154, 156and 157 may be modified to shift the left side of the knife blade toclear a detected protrusion. This may be accomplished by modifying theprofile data points immediately proximate the protrusion, oralternatively, by shifting all of the profile data points remainingafter the protrusion, and allowing the profile data points to be shiftedback in later iterations when the protrusion is no longer detected bythe routine.

The invention therefore provides a loin separation apparatus whichoffers precise and efficient control over scribing and loin pullingoperations utilizing highly controllable scribe saw and loin knifeassemblies. The multiple axes of control for the assemblies, and the useof controllable motion and imaging systems, further offers significantsophistication, flexibility and expandability in controlling theseoperations. As one skilled in the art will appreciate that variousmodifications may be made to the preferred embodiments without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the invention, the invention thus residesin the claims hereafter appended.

What is claimed is:
 1. In a loin separation apparatus, a scribe sawassembly comprising:(a) a steering coupling; (b) scribe saw moving meansfor moving the steering coupling along a lateral axis relative to theloin separation apparatus; (c) a saw blade mounting assembly, pivotallymounted to the steering coupling at a forward point thereon to rotateabout a vertical axis, including a saw blade and drive means forrotating the saw blade; (d) height adjustment means, coupled to the sawblade mounting assembly, for automatically controlling the cutting depthof the saw blade; and (e) a controller, coupled to the drive means andthe scribe saw moving means, for controlling movement of the scribe sawassembly to scribe ribs on a side of meat as the side of meat isconveyed through the loin separation apparatus.
 2. The assembly of claim1, further comprising locking means for locking the saw blade mountingassembly in a fixed position with respect to the steering coupling. 3.The assembly of claim 1, further comprising second scribe saw movingmeans for raising and lowering the scribe saw head assembly.
 4. Theassembly of claim 3, wherein the controller includes means for actuatingthe drive means and the first and second scribe saw moving means tocontrol the scribe saw head assembly to follow a profile.
 5. Theassembly of claim 4, wherein the controller further includes imagingmeans for generating a top plan image of the side of meat, imageprocessing means for determining a backbone line from the top planimage, and profile calculating means for generating profiles for thefirst and second scribe saw moving means to control the scribe saw headassembly to scribe the ribs at a preset distance from the backbone line.6. The assembly of claim 5, wherein the image processing meansdetermines the location of a last rib on the side of meat, and whereinthe controller deactivates the drive means, and activates the secondscribe saw moving means to raise the scribe saw head assembly, at afixed distance from the last rib.